Kenya launches security operation against Islamic extremists operating along Somalia border

KAMPALA, Uganda – Kenya has announced a new security operation aimed at ousting Islamic extremists from a forest along the Somalia border.

Interior Secretary Joseph Nkaisserry said Friday that al-Shabab fighters have been using Kenya's vast Boni forest as cover to launch attacks on Kenyan territory.

Nkaisserry says al-Shabab is increasingly encroaching on the Boni enclave amid pressure from African Union forces who have pushed al-Shabab further toward southern Somalia.

He says the new military operation will be accompanied by a plan to improve infrastructure and social services for residents in the area.

Kenya has been attacked many times by al-Shabab, which opposes the country's military involvement in Somalia.